Increasing demand for IQE's Infrared products

RNS Number : 7590K

IQE PLC

21 April 2015

 



IQE plc

Increasing demand for IQE's Infrared products

Cardiff, UK. 21 April 2015: IQE plc (AIM: IQE, "IQE" or the "Group"), the leading global supplier of advanced semiconductor wafer products and services, announces that during the first quarter of 2015 it has received multiple new long term purchase orders worth up to $3M, for its world leading antimonide substrate materials.

The purchase orders are from a number of different customers and for a combination of large diameter indium antimonide (InSb) and gallium antimonide (GaSb) substrate materials.

InSb and GaSb materials form the key enabling technology base for a range of consumer, defence, security, medical and industrial applications including heat sensing, thermal imaging, infrared sensors, lasers, LEDs and thermovoltaic (TPV) systems for converting heat into electrical energy.

Further details of the specific customer, product and application cannot be disclosed at this time due to confidentiality designed to protect our customers' IP and allow them to retain a competitive advantage.

IQE Infrared is uniquely positioned as a global market leader in the supplier of InSb and GaSb materials to the semiconductor industry, with IQE's US (Galaxy) and UK (Wafer Technology) operations offering the World's largest antimonide wafer production capacity in the industry, using multiple production tools (pullers) providing customers with a completely secure, dual sourced supply of InSb and GaSb wafers.

Dr Mark Furlong, VP of IQE's Infrared Business Unit, commented:

"These new orders for our infrared business unit demonstrate the growing demand for photonic devices with a particular trend towards infrared materials for sensing, imaging and other thermal based applications.

Our investment in state-of-the-art crystal growth, wafer production and polishing capabilities enables us to fully meet the growing antimonide product demands of our customers, both in terms of volume and quality, across a full 2"-6" product range."

Contacts:

IQE plc [phone]

Drew Nelson

Phil Rasmussen

Chris Meadows

IQE Infrared [phone]

Mark Furlong (technical/sales)

Canaccord Genuity + 44 (0) 20 7523 8000

Cara Griffiths

Peel Hunt [phone]

Andy Crossley

Richard Kauffer

Broker Profile [phone]

Simon Courtenay

Harry Rippon

NOTE TO EDITORS

ABOUT IQE

www.iqep.com

IQE is the leading global supplier of advanced semiconductor wafers with products that cover a diverse range of applications, supported by an innovative outsourced foundry services portfolio that allows the Group to provide a 'one stop shop' for the wafer needs of the world's leading semiconductor manufacturers.

IQE uses advanced crystal growth technology (epitaxy) to manufacture and supply bespoke semiconductor wafers ('epiwafers') to the major chip manufacturing companies, who then use these wafers to make the chips which form the key components of virtually all high technology systems. IQE is unique in being able to supply wafers using all of the leading crystal growth technology platforms.

IQE's products are found in many leading-edge consumer, communication, computing and industrial applications, including a complete range of wafer products for the wireless industry, such as mobile handsets and wireless infrastructure, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, base stations, GPS, and satellite communications; and optical communications.

The Group also manufactures advanced optoelectronic and photonic components such as semiconductor lasers, vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) and optical sensors for a wide range of applications including optical fibre communications, optical storage (CD, DVD, BluRay), thermal imaging, leading-edge medical products, pico-projection, finger navigation ultra-high brightness LEDs, and high efficiency concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) solar cells.

The manufacturers of these chips are increasingly seeking to outsource wafer production to specialist foundries such as IQE in order to reduce overall wafer costs and accelerate time to market.

IQE also provides bespoke R&D services to deliver customised materials for specific applications and offers specialist technical staff to manufacture to specification either at its own facilities or on the customer's own sites. The Group is also able to leverage its global purchasing volumes to reduce the cost of raw materials. In this way, IQE's outsourced services, provide compelling benefits in terms of flexibility and predictability of cost, thereby significantly reducing operating risk.

IQE operates a number of manufacturing and R&D facilities across Europe, Asia and the USA. The Group also delivers its products and services through regional sales offices located in major economic centres worldwide

 

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